


When You Wish Upon A Star

by Emily_F6



Category: Skip Beat
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-28
Updated: 2014-09-28
Packaged: 2018-02-19 02:59:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2371991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emily_F6/pseuds/Emily_F6
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Lory and Maria make a wish that Ren and Kyoko would finally get together, a well meaning but clueless fairy and her best friend decide to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Wishing

Lory was drumming his fingers on his lavish desk, staring out the window moodily. The bright full moon lit up his large office. Sebastian stood silently by the door, watching him without comment. His old friend had long ago learned that it was useless to try and find out what he was thinking. Besides, it was clear by the miserable look on his face that he was thinking about his latest failure; Ren and Kyoko. Even getting the girl to parade around the man half naked in a hotel room as his 'baby sister' hadn't moved the giant actor to drag her into his bed and ravish her.

Lory sighed loudly, glad his granddaughter wasn't around to scold him about loosing happiness. 'No, I don't want him to 'ravish' her. She's not ready for anything like that, and I don't want her getting hurt. I just want him to confess to the girl! Is that so much to ask? From the conversations he had overheard in the Love Me room, he was sure that the girl would accept him…well…at least she would be somewhat open to the idea. Pulling out a DVD he popped it into the DVD player. It was dated three days ago, and the image of the Love Me office appeared on the screen. Sebastian brought some popcorn and sat beside him silently, curiosity taking over.

Kanae and Kyoko entered the room together, licking ice cream cones and holding stacks of paperwork. Kanae shut the door firmly and placed her stack of paper on the desk, then pulled her chair over to Kyoko's desk. "Now, what's going on with you and Tsuruga?"

"What do you mean, Moko-san?" Her voice was entirely too innocent and Lory chuckled softly.

"You barely spoke to the poor man. I thought he was going to cry." She deadpanned. "Why are you trying to avoid him?" Kyoko blushed brightly.

"I'm not avoiding him!"

"Liar. I though we were best friends! Now tell me why you were so cold to him!"

"I…Moko-san! I'm scared!" She whimpered, looking sadly over at her best friend. Kanae rolled her eyes and waited, arms crossed. "I…well…I think I…" She dropped her voice to a whisper. "I like him Moko-san."

"He's your friend, isn't he?" Kanae hid a smirk as Kyoko blushed.

"I…um…I think…that's not the point!" She cried. "I…like him like him!" She whispered. "I mean…I think I'm…"

"Attracted to him?" Kanae snorted when Kyoko blushed.

"Moko-saaaaan! I can't! He'd be horrified!" Lory laughed loudly as Kanae snorted again and Kyoko continued with a list of reasons that Ren would hate her if he found out that she liked him.

"Mo! Kyoko, did you ever stop to think that maybe he likes you too?"

Lory froze it as her horrified face came into view. "There. That's the problem. She can't even consider the face that maybe he likes her." Lory turned off the DVD player and turned to the window again. "But how can I get her to see that?" He sighed. 'It's not for me to make her see it. They're my employees, not my children.'

"Grandpa!" He turned in surprise. "If you sigh, happiness leaves you!" Maria cried. His eyes softened and he held out his arms to the little girl, kissing her affectionately on the forehead. She put her arms around his neck and leaned against him, looking up at the moon. He had wanted to take her home earlier, but had gotten caught up thinking about Kyoko and Ren, the two densest people he knew. "Why are you sighing?"

"Oh, just thinking about your silly big sister." He said with a soft smile for the girl.

"Onee-sama? But why?"

"I just wish that I could help her…be happy." He said simply.

"Why isn't Onee-sama happy?" Maria asked sadly. He pinched her nose.

"Because…she loves someone very much, but she's too afraid to say anything. And the person she loves loves her as well, but he's too afraid to say anything."

"Oh." She looked out the window with a sad smile, eyes lighting up when a star fell across the sky. "I wish Ren-sama and Onee-sama would get together." She turned back to her stunned grandfather. "There. I wished on a falling star, so it's going to be fine."

His jaw dropped. 'How did she know I was talking about Ren?"

Two fairies sat casually in the window, faint blue and red lights barely visible to most, except for special people like Kyoko and Maria who believed in them. The red turned to the blue as Lory picked up his now sleeping granddaughter and carried her out of the room. "Hey, they were talking about Kyoko!" Most of the fairies at LME knew who Kyoko was. She was their favorite. The blue fairy only shrugged.

"What about it?"

"Well…the little girl wants to make Kyoko happy. She wished on a star!"

"So? We don't grant wishes."

"We could."

"How? We're nature fairies!" These particular fairies were visiting from Karuizawa where Kyoko had made friends with them, albeit unknowingly.

"Yes…but…"

"Besides, we're not even proper nature fairies. I can grow plants and you turn people into cats. How is that going to help?"

"I don't know. But I'm going to try. Are you going to help or not?" Red crossed her arms and pouted, and Blue sighed.

"Mo. Fine."

The next day, Kyoko sat the Love Me room, praying that a certain someone didn't open the door. More and more often, her thoughts turned to him as she did the more menial tasks, and she had to force her mind back on the job. Suddenly, as she filled out a sheet of paperwork, a tiny red creature appeared on her desk. She squeaked in surprise. Never has she seen a fairy so clearly, and this one was a beautiful bright red color. "Oh! Hello! Are you lost?" She tilted her head at the tiny leaf the fairy wore as a dress. 'She looks like a nature fairy. What is she doing in Tokyo?'

"Hehe. No. I'm here to see you." The little creature flapped her translucent wings and hovered until she was eye to eye with the young redheaded actress.

"Oh! Um…how can I help you, fairy-san?"

The little creature laughed. "I'm doing a favor for a friend. Just sit still for a second, okay?" Kyoko nodded and sat perfectly still as she was surrounded by a red cloud of dust. Holding back a cough, she felt herself dozing off. She opened her mouth to ask what was going on when suddenly everything in the room got bigger and she fell asleep.

Lory looked up from his paperwork when something blue caught his eye. He choked on his coffee when the blue something turned out to be a small woman in a leaf dress emitting a blue light sitting on his stapler, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. He rubbed his eyes, blinked a few times, then shook his head. "No way. What's in this coffee?"

"Coffee beans, hazelnuts, and creamer." The small creature told him, making him jump to his feet. "But that's not important."

"Um… can I help you?"

"That's not the point. I'm here to help you. You and your granddaughter made a wish yesterday. You want Kyoko Mogami to get together with Ren Tsuruga. So, my best friend decided that we should help. I'm not sure how…but we're going to try. This is the plan. My friend is going to turn her into a cat."

"Um…why a cat?" He asked, apologetically so she didn't get angry at the interruption. She rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

"It is the only thing she can do. Now, you're going to take the cat to Ren Tsuruga and tell him to take care of her until he can tell Kyoko he loves her."

"Huh?"

"I said, you take the cat…"

"No! I heard you…but how is this going to do any good? Ren has work and…how is this going to make Kyoko see that he loves her?"

"I have no idea. Like I said, this wasn't my idea. Now come on. You'd better come get Kyoko before she wakes up. She's going to be confused." Hopelessly, and sure he was going insane, he followed the blue creature as she flew away.

Lory walked into the Love Me room and found a little red fairy sitting on the desk. She smiled happily up at them when they entered the room and flew straight for the other fairy, throwing her arms around her and landing them on the floor.

"MO! It's been ten minutes!" The blue fairy screeched. "Calm down you freak!" The red fairy laughed.

"Hello Takarada-san." She gave a half bow to the older man in mid air. "Kyoko is on the desk chair. She's still seeping."

"Um…wait!" He cried as the two started to fly away. "What am I supposed to do? What about Kyoko?"

"She's a cat." The red fair told him slowly, then looked over at her blue friend. "Didn't you tell him the plan?"

"Of course I told him idiot! What do you think I was doing?"

"Wait! No…that wasn't my question." He placed his hand on his forehead and took a deep breath. "What…how is Ren taking care of her as a cat going to help Kyoko see that he loves her?"

The red fairy cocked her head thoughtfully. "I don't really know. It might work though…it's the best I could do." She looked up at him sadly. "I'm sorry. Did I mess it up? I thought that you would be happy." A tear fell from her eye and the blue fairy glared at him menacingly.

"No!" He assured her quickly, feeling a strange sense of deja vous. "It was a great idea! I'm sure it will work! I'll just…get Ren! He can have a few days off! Everything will be great!" 'I'll think of something." She brightened immediately.

"Great. Good luck!" She called brightly.

"Um….when will Kyoko turn back?" He wondered nervously.

They flew away and the red one called over her shoulder. "Oh. True love's first kiss of course!" Lory's jaw dropped.

"Why would he kiss a cat!" He called as they disappeared. He looked over at the desk chair where a small black kitten with white paws was curled up, her tail covering her face. "I'm so sorry, Kyoko." He mumbled sadly, dropping to the floor. 'What am I going to do?'

When Ren found his boss sitting on the floor, head in his hands, next to a tiny sleeping cat, he felt his heart stop. "Boss? Takarada-san? Are you okay?" He crouched down and touched his shoulder, fear showing in his dark brown eyes. Lory sighed and looked up at the young man with a smile.

"I'm fine Ren, but I'm afraid you aren't going to be happy." Ren lifted an eyebrow. "You see, I have a job for you, and it's going to take a while."

"Um...okay."

"You see this kitten?"

"Yes..." He looked over with a hesitant frown, then back at his boss.

"Her name is Princess." He pulled a name that she would be happy with out of the air. "And I want you to take care of her for me."

"Um...alright." He shrugged a little.

"I need to you take care of her until further notice. I've cleared your schedule for today and tomorrow."

Ren wasn't exactly happy, but the sad look on his face made Ren hold his tongue.

"Oh, and Ren?"

"Yea?"

"Kyoko is gone."


	2. BS Stands For...

"Kyoko is gone." The words gripped Ren's heard like ice, and he felt his lungs constrict. He remembered finding Lory on the floor with his head in his hands and the dots all seemed to connect. Taking a breath was suddenly too hard to contemplate. Unable to come up with another definition of the word 'gone,' the word 'dead' bounced around in his mind.

"Gone?" He managed to croak out the word, all thoughts of breathing gone, and Lory turned to him, his eyes wide with realization.

"Gone…on…an assignment." He said quickly, least Ren throw himself out the nearest window. "I sent her on a…a top-secret Love Me assignment!"

Ren narrowed his eyes, irritated at his boss's antics, but couldn't summon anything other than relief at the moment. "A Love Me assignment?"

"Yes. I have a task for her to accomplish, and…she is not to return until the task has been accomplished." Ren lifted an eyebrow.

"Where did you send her?"

"Um…I can't say. It's top secret."

"Is she alone? Is it safe?" Lory involuntarily glanced over at 'Princess' and smirked a little.

"She is being taken care of by someone who cares about her very much, so yes, she is safe. But she is not allowed to have contact with anyone inside of LME." Lory thanked the heavens for his ability to think quickly and smiled at Ren who was not looking happy.

Ren narrowed his eyes. "What about Box R?" Reality hit Lory like a brick.

"Well…uh…I was… really upset with something she did so…she can't go back to Box R… until she finishes her assignment." Ren's eyes widened incredulously.

"President! How could you do that to her? What did she do?" Ren felt pity for the poor girl. He knew how hard she had worked to find her Natsu and how much she loved working on Box R. 'She must be devastated.' Lory sighed tiredly.

"Look Ren, I've only been at the office since 8 and it's been a long…" He checked his watch. "…3 hours. I've got a lot to do, and you have a cat to take care of. Ren…I cannot stress this enough….take good care of Princess. Pretend that you are taking care of Kyoko…" He stress the girl's name, but there was no response from either the man or the sleeping cat. "…because if you don't you will most certainly regret it, okay?" Ren lifted an eyebrow but nodded.

"Of course I'll take care of her."

"I mean it Ren!" Lory gripped the man's shoulders. "Like you were in charge of Kyoko." Ren took a step back and smiled nervously.

"Okay. I'll treat her like a perfect gentleman." Lory looked into his eyes for a minute, then sighed in resignation.

"Great." He mumbled irritably. Ren watched in confusion as Lory slunk out of the room, hands in his pockets. Shaking his head, he cursed under his breath as he realized that he had agreed to take a mini vacation as he walked over to the little cat asleep on the chair. "Two days of work…" He muttered as he reached out to the tiny cat. 'What did he call her? Oh yea…' "Princess?" He whispered, stroking the cats head gently with his thumb. 'Kyoko would love that name…I wonder if she likes cats…'

Kyoko stirred slowly. The last thing she could remember was the little red fairy sprinkling her with a cloud of dust and then falling asleep. Someone was stroking her hair and it felt good. A strange sounds was penetrating her entire body. "Purrrrrrrrrr." 'What is that noise? Is there an engine running somewhere? Where am I?" She heard a quiet chuckle that sounded rather familiar. 'What? Who is…Tsuruga-san!" Her eyes flew open as she realized that she was still at LME. "Meow!" 'What? What was that noise?' She found that Tsuruga-san's face was very close to hers, and he seemed amused about something. Suddenly, she couldn't help rubbing her head against his hand. 'Oh! That feels so….good!' "Meow!" 'Wait!' She froze. 'What am I doing? I'm being so rude! I can't believe I fell asleep at work! He will be so angry at my unprofessional behavior!'

Ren watched in amusement as the kitten froze and began meowing frantically, staring at him with her giant golden eyes. 'Golden eyes huh?' "Just like Kyoko." He said softly, smiling when she purred louder and rub against his hand. 'Kyoko...I wonder where the President sent her. I hope she isn't gone long.'

'What do you mean just like Kyoko, Tsuruga-san?' Unfortunately she realized that everything she said sounded like a cat's meow. 'Tsuruga-san, why can't I talk?' She looked at him fearfully, but he only continued stroking her head. 'Tsuruga-san? What's going on!'

The little cat chirped at him, looking at him almost fearfully, and he frowned and pulled away. "What's wrong Princess? I'm not going to hurt you."

If cats could blush, Kyoko would be bright red. 'Tsu…Tsuruga-san, why are you calling me Princess?'

"Are you hungry? I wonder when Lory fed you last…here." He stood to his full height and Kyoko had a small heart attack as she realized how tall he was. Instinctively she tried to stand and take a step back, but she found that she had two too many legs…and a tail, and tripped over all three. He chuckled softly and reached down, capturing her with his suddenly larger than life hands. She squeaked, a sound that actually translated, and froze as he held her to his chest.

"Oh….what's going on!" She cried. "Tsuruga-san! Put me down! I'm scared! What's going on!" She squirmed in his hands and he tightened his hold on her.

"Calm down , Princess. I'm not going to hurt you." One hand stroked her back gently. She went stiff in his hands again. "I'm just going to take you home and find you something to eat. Okay?"

'Tsuruga-saaan! Stop calling me that! It's embarrassing! Why am I a cat! What's going on?" She groaned and went limp, pinning her ears back, and he looked down worriedly.

"What's wrong, Princess?" He nearly sighed at the range of emotions that passed across the strange cat's face. 'Where did Lory find her, anyway?'

As the door to LME slid open, the sound was suddenly unbearable and Kyoko began looking around frantically. She felt Ren's grip tighten, but something shiny caught her eye. "Let me down Tsuruga-san!" She whined. "I wanna see what that is!" She squirmed, then tensed when a loud honk hurt her delicate ears. She pinned them back and burrowed into his arms, unconsciously extending her claws.

"Ouch! Stop!" He carefully shifted her so that her needle claws were digging into his arm and she meowed pitifully. "Sorry." He said gently, stroking her again and holding her firmly. "I don't want you to run off. It's dangerous." He said softly, wondering why he felt the need to talk to the cat in his arms. It must of worked because she calmed down and retracted her claws.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!" She cried, distraught. She tried to touch the hand that she had injured but he was holding her still, so she reached her nose out and touched his arm. He chuckled softly and gently smoothed her fur back with his thumb.

"It's fine." He assured the apparently distraught kitten and adjusted her again. "Just try not to claw me again." He glanced around, hoping that no one caught the Tsuruga Ren talking to a cat as he made his way to his car, and climbed into the driver's seat, placing the kitten on the passenger seat.

Kyoko looked around curiously, trying to work out what had happened. 'The fairy? Did she do this? But why? Why turn me into a cat? She said she was doing someone a favor…who would want to make me a cat?' She saw something out of the corner of her eye and turned her head. 'Oh! I have a tail.' She watched in fascination as it whipped back and forth. 'Hm…can I move it…oh!' She smiled when it tapped her on the nose and she shrunk back a little as it followed her. A giggle escaped her throat as she batted at it, but it died when she heard a chuckle. She jumped and turned to face the giant sitting next to her. He hand his hand over his mouth and was laughing softly as he watched her. Annoyance crept through her and she felt her ears pin against her head. Her tail whipped back and forth in irritation with no effort on her part. "Tsuruga-san! Don't laugh at me! How would you feel if you suddenly had a tail!"

"Meow Meow Meeooow Meoooooww!" He laughed louder, pressing the gas pedal as the light turned green and the cat somehow managed to scold him.

"Sorry. Sorry." He apologized lightly as she fell back against the seat. Pulling into the parking lot, he started to open the door. "I'm just going to go inside and get you a couple of things. I'll be right back." She watched him with eyes wide.

"Hey! Wait! Don't leave me alone in the car." He smiled a little and petted her head.

"You know I can't understand you right?" He laughed a little at his own silliness in talking to a cat. "I'll be right back."

"Meow!" She screamed after him as he shut the door. Sadly she flattened her ears and sat down. Standing up again, she tried to coordinate the movement between her two extra legs.

A few minutes into the exercise, she realized that the car was getting hot. "Where's Tsuruga-san?" She meowed, walking over to the driver's seat. Opening her mouth, she realized that by sticking out her tongue, she could cool off a little, but the sun was shining brightly. 'Why did he leave me in the car? It's hot in here!' She looked over at the passenger side door and, balancing on her hind legs, placed her front paw on the door lock button. A loud click sounded through the car, and she tried to pull the door handle. "I can't pull it! I don't have thumbs!" She meowed loudly, cursing her bad luck, when her sensitive ears caught a voice outside the window.

"Hi kitty." She looked up at the older woman outside staring down at her. "Why are you alone in the car?" She asked, her voice muffled. Kyoko mewed pitifully and suddenly the door was pulled open and a rush of air hit Kyoko on the face, cooling her fur. The woman reached down and pulled her into her arms. "Are you okay, sweetie?" She looked around. "Where's your…"

"Hey!" Looking up, the woman found Tsuruga Ren, her granddaughter's favorite actor, strolling up to her, his eyes sharp. "What are you doing with my cat?" His bright, gentlemanly smile caught her of guard, but the anger in his voice was obvious.

"I'm sorry…but you left your cat in the car, and she was going to overheat." She handed the limp, panting cat to the worried man who stroked her gently.

"Is she okay?" He asked, looking up at the woman fearfully.

She took a nervous half step back. "Um…I'm sure she'll be fine. She's just a little hot. Don't worry." The woman slipped away and headed for the pet shop, pulling out her cellphone to call her granddaughter.

"I'm sorry." He mumbled, holding her closely. "Come on. You can come in with me." Now recovered from the heat of the car, Kyoko reached her paw up to his shoulder and pulled herself up, climbing onto his shoulder. He laughed a little as she perched here.

"There. That's better. Now you don't have to hold me." He smiled as she meowed in his ear, petting her as he walked toward the store.

Kyoko's eyes widened as Ren threw things into his basket. Earlier, while searching the internet for things a cat would need, he had come across the warning that you should never leave a cat in the car, so he had dropped his basket and gone to check on her, praying that he hadn't hurt his boss's beloved cat, and now he needed to start over. The little cat seemed happy to sit on his shoulder as he shopped, but as soon as he began throwing food, a bed, and toys into the basket, she had begun meowing loudly in his ear, her paw patting him on the side of his face.

He caught her paw with a soft laugh. "What? Do you want more toys? I don't know how long you're staying with me…oh! I need a litter box."

"Meow?"


	3. Stubbornness

"Let's see…where are the litter boxes."

Kyoko couldn't believe she wasn't blushing, despite the fur. Briefly, she wondered it her dark fur would turn red like her hair. "No!" She cried, despite the fact that everything she said sounded like a variety of meows. "Tsuruga-san, no! I will not use a litter box!" A few people chuckled at the grown man wincing as a small black kitten meowed loudly in his ear. "You can't clean up my….my….no! I will use the t….to…toilet like always!" She wanted to bury her head in her han…paws but she was still trying to deter him from buying a litter box. Taking her paw, she tapped the side of his face. "Tsuruga-san! Are you listening! No! Not a pink one!" She screeched in his ear and he laughed, placing a hand over his ear.

"Princess!" He reached over and tried to pet her, but, thinking he was going to try and hold her, she ducked away and snaked behind his head. He sighed and she froze.

'Oh no! I'm making him angry! I'm so sorry Tsuruga-san!' Meowing sadly, she went to his other shoulder and stuck her nose in his ear. He gave a startled laugh and brought a hand up to his ear. She stiffened.

"Oh…my…God…I just stuck my nose in Tsuruga Ren's ear! How disrespectful!" She leapt down from his shoulder to the floor, briefly amazed that she landed on her feet, and did her best impression of a doegza.

Ren's eyes widened in shock as the kitten pressed her nose to the floor and mewed loudly. 'A…doegza?' He wondered in disbelief. "Um…Princess?" He reached down to pet her and she looked up at him forlornly, her ears pricked forward and her amber eyes sad. "It's okay. What's wrong? Do…do you not like pink litter boxes?" Realizing that talking was getting her nowhere, Kyoko decided to just shake her head. His mouth dropped open. He hadn't been expecting her to respond. 'I always heard that cats respond to tone of voice…that it didn't matter what you actually said. Surely she can't understand a word I'm saying.' He started to say something else when a worker walked up to them.

"Excuse me, sir? Is that your cat?"

"Huh?" Ren straightened to his full height, but either the man didn't know who he was or didn't care. "Yes. She's mine." Kyoko walked curiously up to the strange man, tripping over her own paws.

'Dang it! Okay. Front and back paw, front and back….no!' She didn't notice the men looking down at her strangely. 'No…diagonals. Front right back left. Front left back right.' She smiled as she began to move forward somewhat smoothly, the squeaked as her tail somehow slipped in between her back paws and she fell. Ren chuckled softly, crossing his arms as she gave up and law on the floor, ears pinned.

"Sorry, but all pets must be on a leash." The man told him, smiling a little at the little animal's antics. She extracted her tail and glared at it mournfully.

"Oh…um…can I get a leash then? I'm almost done." The man lifted an eyebrow but shrugged.

"That's fine." He reached over and picked Kyoko up. Squeaking in surprise, she turned to Ren.

"Tsuruga-san!" She hadn't been following the conversation and suddenly found herself in a stranger's arms.

"I'll be back, Princess." Ren disappeared for a second, leaving cat and cart in the worker's arms, and returned a few minutes later with a pink harness and leash.

"Pink! Why do you always pick pink things! Isn't it bad enough that I have to wear the stupid uniform?" She meowed in distress, struggling in the man's arms as Ren managed to slip the thing over her head and place her paws into the gaps.

"Calm down." Ren murmured, running his thumb over her head. The worker attached the leash to the harness and handed the other end to the man as he placed the cat on the floor. Ren thanked him; watching in barely concealed amusement as the kitten, barely able to walk anyway, tried to do so with a harness. He smirked and reached down, scooping her up.

"Here." He placed her back on his shoulder and she perched on his shoulder, gratefully.

'It's so embarrassing when he holds me…his hand is on my stomach and…' The kitten blushed again and focused on maintaining her balance without clawing him as he threw a beige litter box and a bag of litter into the basket, along with a scooper.

"Well, I think that's it. Do you want anything else?" He asked her quietly, petting her. She growled a little and he retracted his hand a bit nervously. "What?"

"Why are you buying me so much! What's wrong with you! How can you spend your money so carelessly! And on me! I can never pay you back for all this." She meowed mournfully. "I'm sorry!" She flopped down on his shoulder, giving up as he threw another catnip ball into the basket and headed for the check out counter.

Irritated at her inability to even attempt to pay, she lay limply in the passenger seat. 'I don't understand! What's going on? Why am I a cat? And why is Tsuruga-san taking care of me? Doesn't he have work? What about my work!' She cried in her mind, pinning her ears back.

"What's wrong now?" He asked quietly, reaching over and tugging her ear gently. She chirped at him, looking at him sadly.

"You keep buying me things and carrying me around and…and…I'm a cat! I don't understand what's going on."

Ren smiled at the series of chirps and meows that came from the passenger seat. "I wonder what you're saying." He mused with a soft laugh. She sighed, as well as a cat can, she dropped her head on her paws and curled her tail around herself.

"I'm sure you do." She mumbled irritably.

The man carried the grocery bags through the parking garage, the sad cat lying on his shoulder. She had given up protesting that she could walk herself when she couldn't manage to make actual words. 'I can't believe how much in this man's debt I am! How am I even going to explain all of this…oh no…what if I turn back into a human! What if I'm sitting on his shoulder and…and I'll be naked!' She groaned, a strange, sick sounding sound for a cat, and Ren looked over his shoulder worriedly.

"Are you okay?" He murmured, adjusting the bag and hurrying for the elevator. "Hey, we're almost there. Are you hungry? Sick?" He realized that he was talking to a cat as if she could understand him again, and started to laugh at himself when she shook her head. "Princess? What is it?"

She rolled her eyes. "I was just trying to answer your question. But you don't understand and I can't clarify and I'm a cat!" She meowed irritably, the novelty of it all wearing off and he sighed.

"Moody cat." He mumbled.

Kyoko lay on the couch as Ren headed back to the cat to get the cat litter and food. Her bed was set up by the kitchen door, and there was a pile of new toys, mostly still in their wrappings, on the coffee table. 'I need to find that fairy. What was she thinking? Why would she turn me into a cat? I have work to do! And what about Moko-san! I have to call her…I can't call her. I'm a cat.' Once again the knowledge hit her like a ton of bricks. 'What am I going to do?' Strengthening her resolve, she stood suddenly. 'I have to tell Tsuruga-san what's going on…somehow!'

When the door opened, he looked around before catching sight of her. "Wow. You're a really good cat…you haven't moved at all." He placed the heavy bags in the kitchen with a huff. "Are you hungry?" She thought for a moment, then shook her head. For some reason, she really wasn't, despite the running around she had done since her strange transformation. Instead, she was thirsty. Standing up carefully and ignoring his strange look, she managed to walk into the kitchen, mindful of her long tail, and walked over to the sink. Looking up at him, she tapped the counter with her paw. His eyes were wide and he was staring at her in silence, so she meowed. "Oh…uh…you're thirsty?" She nodded and his jaw dropped. "You…you really understand what I'm saying?" She nodded again, rolling her eyes. "What kind of cat are you?" She meowed and he shook himself out of his stunned state, taking a bowl and filling it with tap water, and then placing it on the floor in front of her.

Leaning over, she sniffed it gingerly. 'Okay…cats lap up water with their tongue…like this?' She stuck her tongue out and scooped up some water in her mouth. To her surprise, she found that her tongue curled into a tiny spoon, and she was able to fill up with water after a few drinks. 'Oh. That's neat.' She looked up and realized that Ren was no longer in the room. Walking around the bowl, careful to keep her tail up and away from the water, she froze when she heard a strange noise coming from somewhere in the apartment. Gingerly padding into the living room, she found it empty, so she kept walking, looking around at how big everything suddenly was. The couch looked too big for her to climb onto, and because of her sharp claws she was afraid to try.

She found him in the bathroom with the door open, filling a pan hallway full with litter, and her eyes widened. He sighed as he stood. "I hope you're litter trained." He mumbled under his breath, then looked down at her, waiting for the response that always seemed to come. He was surprised when she backed away from the box on the floor, hissing loudly and bearing her sharp little teeth.

"No! I'm not using that! I can just use the toilet! I already told you that! Why did you have to buy a litter box?" He stared at her in confusion for a second, then shook his head.

"I give up. I have no idea what's the matter with you, you weird cat. I have to call Yashiro anyway. Amuse yourself, okay?" He walked away irritably and she shrunk back, almost afraid.

"Why is he angry? Did I do something? I just don't want him to have to clean up after me." She meowed sadly and, after a few minutes of contemplation, followed him into the living room. He was sitting on the sofa, his cellphone pressed against his ear.

"Hey Dad." His voice was soft and Kyoko's ears pricked up. She knew that she shouldn't be eavesdropping, but he was talking in front of her and didn't seem to care if she listened.

'But…I'm a cat. Of course he doesn't know it's me…' She pushed the rational thought away and sat in front of the sofa, trying to think of a way up. 'I don't want to ruin his furniture…' She backed away and made a running leap, but didn't jump high enough and only ran into the front face first.

"Yes it's me. " She tried again, ears still peeled as she attempted to climb up next to him. "I…yes I miss you too. I…I actually called because I have to ask you something." He took a deep breath. "Is Kyoko with you?" Kyoko froze in her attempts and sat down, looking up at him with wide eyes. Suddenly she had the strongest urge to lick her paw. Unable to resist, she began to wash herself as he spoke. "No…the President said he sent her away to do a Love Me task, and that she is being taken care of by someone that cares about her."

'President said that!' She stiffened in shock. 'Does he really know what's going on? Why else would he lie! But…someone who cares about me? Why would Tsuruga-san's father care about me? I don't know anything about Tsuruga-san's family…'

"Well, I just thought that since she took care of you while you were in Japan…and I know you have her call you father…you were the only person I could think of. No…I have no idea. Yes, I am worried about her. You can try. He wouldn't tell me anything. No. I don't think…surely he wouldn't do something….no. I can't imagine him telling her to do that."

Kyoko stood and walked away stiffly in the middle of the conversation. Her hair was standing on edge and she could feel her tail thrashing. 'He's Father's son…he's Kuon.' The realization hit her with every step as she made her way to the guest room. Looking around, she decided on the bed. She crouched down a little and crawled under, hiding in the farthest corner by the wall. Her skin felt funny as her fur stood straight up, and she tried licking herself to flatten it but soon gave up, curling into a tiny ball. 'He lied to me. All this time…and he and father were lying to me. I'll bet they had a good laugh after I was gone. How stupid can one person be?' She closed her eyes and felt her cheeks get wet. Whimpering, she curled up tighter, shutting out the world by pinning her ears back and covering her eyes with her tail. 'I thought I had a father…but he was lying to me…I'm sure he doesn't really want a daughter like me anyway…not when he has Tsuruga-san.'

Ren drummed his fingers, waiting for Yashiro to pick up his phone. "Hello?"

"Hey Yashiro."

"Ren! I've been waiting for you to call! The President said that you were taking off work for today and tomorrow? What's wrong?"

"He wants me to take care of his cat." Ren deadpanned. "Listen, have you heard anything about Kyoko?"

"Um…no." The strangely serious tone of his charge's voice kept him from teasing the distraught man. "Why?"  
"The President said he sent her away somewhere for a Love Me assignment…and he doesn't know when she'll be back."

"What? What about her work?"

"That's what I asked him. And he said that she did something wrong and she's not allowed to work until she completes her assignment." There was a confused silence.

"Ren…doesn't that sounds a little strange to you?"

"Of course, which is why I called you. She's not with Hizuri Kuu, and she's not with anyone at LME, or so he said. He said that someone who cares about her is watching out for her…who else could it be?"

"Maybe the people where she lives? Or the family she grew up with?" Ren was thoughtful.

"She isn't answering her phone. But she may be at home…I might try going by there tomorrow."

"Um...Ren? Why does the President want you to look after his cat?"

"I wish I knew." Ren leaned back against the back of the sofa with a sigh, disconnecting the call after wishing his manager a good day. 'He said to treat the cat like I would treat Kyoko…but why was he so adamant about that? And why does that cat act like she can understand me? It's unnerving…' He remembered snapping at her earlier, and then looked around. Not finding her anywhere, he frowned and stood up. 'Crap…if she can somehow understand me, does she think I'm mad at her?' 'I cannot stress this enough….take good care of Princess. Pretend that you are taking care of Kyoko.' "Why would he say that? He even repeated it…"

The next thing Kyoko knew, the name Princess was echoing across the apartment. She pinned her ears back again and stayed where she was. 'He lied to me…he and father both. Even after everything we went through as Setsu and Cain…he never trusted me enough to tell me the truth…' The thought caused her physical pain. She thought back to her conversation with Kanae. 'I…I love him…and he lied to me. I can't love someone I don't trust.' Of course she couldn't make her feelings for him disappear, so she only closed her eyes again, tucking her tail around herself. 'I don't want to see him right now.'

She opened her eyes and realized that she must have fallen asleep at some point. She carefully uncurled herself and stood up, stretching from nose to tail. 'I'm really hungry…what was I doing under the…' Her train of thought came to a screeching halt. 'He lied to me.' The thought, which had seemed so painful before, seemed a little less after a nap. 'Okay…maybe he had a good reason…' She couldn't think of one, but she shook her head. 'I can't jump to conclusions. I have no reason to think that father doesn't love me, anyway. Maybe…maybe Tsuruga-san just wanted him to keep the secret and Father didn't want to break his word. Or…maybe they just aren't close.' She sighed a little, none of her explanations making much sense, but she was tired of hiding under the bed and thinking about her father not loving her. 'When I'm a human again…whenever that may be…I'll talk to him.' She walked to the edge of her hiding place and looked around. 'I wonder what happened to Tsuruga-san. Did he give up? What time is it?' She took another step and came to a horrific conclusion. 'I have to use the bathroom.' Meowing sadly in distress, she placed her head in her paws. "NO!" She cried into the carpet. 'I'll just hold it. I'm not going in the litter box!' Slipping out from under her hiding spot, she looked around the dark room, her pupils opening wide to take in all the light so that she could see easily in the darkness. She hurried to the door and listened for sounds of movement or a voice. Nothing.

She meowed softly in the large apartment, wondering where he could be. The living room was empty, but her bed was lying closer to the sofa and had a soft toy placed in the corner. Smiling, she nudged it with her nose, easily identifying his scent on it. She moved on to the kitchen. Two bowls sat on the floor, one filled with fresh water and the other with little nuggets of dry cat food. She sniffed it hesitantly, but wasn't sure she was hungry enough to try it Taking a few sips of water, she decided to try his bedroom.

Kyoko nudged the door to the dark room open and smiled. There, on his giant bed, the man was lying under the covers. Looking out of his window, she could see that it was just getting dark. 'He must have been tired. I wonder how long he was looking for me.' The thought made her press her ears back sadly, and she walked over to his bed. Crouching, she leapt straight up in the air and managed to pull herself up onto the comforter. She padded over to him and sat down, watching him silently. His brow was furrowed and he mumbled, suddenly turning over, and she jumped back to avoid his arm. He mumbled again, the lines on his brow deepening, and she caught her name amidst the murmuring. "Tsuruga-san?" She meowed softly. His hand formed a fist in the blanket.

"Kyoko." He mumbled sadly, his head turning. Her large eyes widened.

'Why is he dreaming about me? Is he…worried about me? Because I'm gone?' Walking closer, she lay in the crook of the arm at his side, reaching up and touching her nose to his cheek. He smiled a little, and she pressed her nose harder against him, meowing softly. "I'm sorry that I'm making you worry." She told him, patting his face with her paw. He suddenly jerked awake and found himself holding the little cat that he had been scouring the apartment for for the last few hours.

"Princess?" He asked tiredly. "There you are. I was worried." He turned a little and ran his hand over her head, smiling when she rubbed against him. "Why did you run off?"

Kyoko's eyes dimmed and she rested her head on her paws, taking a deep breath as he continued to pet her. There was no way to communicate to him what had so upset her, so she just closed her eyes. "Go back to sleep." She meowed. He gave up after a second and closed his eyes, his hand on her back.

Kyoko woke an hour or two later, her bladder informing her that she could no longer put off using the bathroom. 'But…but…I can't use the litter box!' She cried in her mind as her body once again woke up. There was a heavy, comfortable weight on her back, and turning her head she saw that she was lying next to Tsuruga-san's naked chest. 'Naked! Why didn't I notice that before?' She blushed under the fur, pulling away a little. He frowned, but lifted his hand in his sleep, allowing her to escape. "I'll be right back." She meowed in a whisper.

She hurried into the bathroom and stared at the litter box for a few moments, then looked up at the toilet. Making a decision, she leapt up onto the tall white structure, balancing carefully on the edge. The lid was down, so she backed up carefully, her tail in the air, and sighed in relief as the pressure on her bladder eased. When she was finished, she carefully turned and, moving slowly, lifted her front paw and placed it on the handle. 'Ha. There. That was easy. Now I just have to….eep!' She pressed down on the handle, but as the loud flushing sound filled the room, her back paw slipped and she crashed into the bowl, surrounded by the swirling water.

Ren jerked awake when a loud, horrible screech filled the air. Forcing his brain to respond, he managed to separate the screaming with the flushing noise. Eyes wide, he jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom. Reaching into the toilet, he grabbed the partially submerged animal from the bowl and jerked her out of the water in panic.

Kyoko felt the hand close around the scruff of her neck and squeaked in pain as she jerked her into the air. He seemed to realize his mistake because he gently placed her on the floor while kneeling down as she choked and gasped for breath, her entire body shaking. Her legs gave out as she collapsed against the floor, her eyes closed tightly in fear. After a few seconds, a towel wrapped around her and she felt herself being cuddled to his chest.

"What on earth were you doing?" He cried, caressing her head with his thumb to calm her down. She coughed again and meowed sadly, trying to tell him that she didn't like the litter box. "Did Lory train you to use a toilet? How did you flush it?" He sighed when he remembered that the intelligent little creature couldn't actually answer him and stood slowly, holding her close. "I'll have to remember to put the lid down." He mumbled as he carried her into the kitchen, dug around in a bag, and pulled out the shampoo he had bought. "Well, I hope you like baths." Kyoko felt a strange terror invade her body as he turned the faucet on and placed the stopper in the sink.

'Oh no…'


	4. Understanding

Ren wondered if had ever heard such a disturbing noise as the one the tiny black and white cat in his arms was making. "Princess, you're filthy! I have to clean you up." He tried to reason with the animal covered in toilet water. She emitted a mixture between a groan and a scream as he lowered her into the sink, spreading her paws and throwing her head back. "You're already wet." He reasoned with her. She hissed at him angrily and he signed. "Come on. Please don't fight about this." It was getting late and he was tired. 'I'm too tired to deal with this...'

Kyoko didn't want to fight. She had every intention of being calm and letting Ren clean her off. But that was before she saw the water. A strange terror gripped her, which she found strange because she typically wasn't afraid of the water. Still, as soon as her paws hit the water, she screamed again. All reason flew from her mind and she spun around, mouth open and teeth bared, and found his hand. Her teeth had barely touched his skin, however, when she realized what she was doing and froze, her teeth touching him. He stared at her, eyes wide, as she carefully pulled back and closed her mouth, ears pinned.

'I…I…almost bit….Tsuruga Ren!' The thought rendered her speechless as he ran his hand over her back, scooping warm water onto her fur.

"There we go." He mumbled with a smile. "That's better. See? This isn't so bad." He was more than grateful that she hadn't sunk her needle teeth into his hand, but…'was that guilt? Did she feel bad because she almost bit me?' Smiling a little, he brought his nose down no touch her wet head, laughing when she seemed to come to and shook her head, throwing water everywhere. "See? It's just a little water." He squeezed a handful of shampoo into his palm and began to massage it over her. She meowed mournfully but didn't try to bite him again, fighting every instinct in her body.

'No. I have to be calm. I am a human! I'm not afraid of water! I do not hate water. Even if it makes my fur feel all heavy and….and I have this horrible urge to shake…I have to fight it….I can't…oh no…' Suddenly she shook violently, sending water and shampoo everywhere. Ren closed his eyes to avoid the soapy water and chuckled at her petulant face.

"I'm almost done." He assured her, scratching under her chin and scooping up some more warm water to rinse her off. He was pulling a towel over and she fought the urge to jump out of the tub and run away while his back was turned.

'I'll get all of his furniture wet and soapy and he'll be angry! I just have to bear with it.'

"There. Good girl. " He lifted her and placed her on the towel wrapping her snugly, and holding her to his chest and he rubbed her dry, releasing the stopper and letting the soapy water run down the drain. With her in his arms, he walked into the living room and sat on the sofa, shaking his wet hair out of his face. She found herself shaking a little and snuggled into the blanket. He smiled a little, his eyes softening.

"T…thank you Tsuruga-san." She meowed up at him, wishing he could understand him. Since he couldn't, she nudged his hand and rubbed her head against him. He took the hint and began petting her again.

"You really are a strange cat." He murmured softly, his hand smoothing her damp fur. "Sometimes I think you're trying to talk to me." She nodded, her golden brown eyes meeting his, and his widened. "You are trying to talk to me?" She nodded again, nudging his hand. He laughed a little, closing his eyes and leaning his head back. She let it go, closing her eyes as she curled in his lap.

'I'll just have to try again tomorrow.'

The little red fairy flew in the window, tugging her blue friend along. "Come on!" She cried anxiously. "She's in here! Look!" The blue fairy rolled her eyes.

"Yes I believe you. What about it?"

"Look!" They stopped short in the living room where Ren was running his hand along her back. Her soft purr could be heard from the other side of the room, and she was obviously almost asleep.

"Okay. He's petting her. So what?"

"So he likes her! And she likes him!"

"MO! You idiot! They already liked each other. And now he likes a cat. So what? How is this going to get them together?" The red fairy crossed her arms and pouted. The blue fairy softened her voice. "Mo. I'm not saying this isn't a good idea. I'm just not sure where you're going with this."

"Hello?"

"Boss?"

"Oh. Hey. What's up?"

"Why did my son just call looking for Kyoko?"

"Um…."

"Lory, where is my second son?"

"Kuu…this isn't easy to explain…"

"We'll you'd better figure it out!"

Lory cursed the protectiveness of the father of two of his favorite talents. "Okay. You aren't going to believe me but…"

"Lory?" There was a long pause. "Lory!"

"I…I'll call you back…" His voice sounded strangled and Kuu stared at the disconnected phone.

The plants wrapped around his neck and he stared in horror at the angry looking blue fairy and the reproachful looking red one. "Don't you know anything!" The little red fairy cried. "You can't tell anyone what's going on!"

"What? Her father is worried about her!" He cried, tearing at the stronger than steel plants.

The blue fairy crossed her arms. "You are not allowed to tell anyone about anything involving us. Ever. Either people figure it out on their own or they never know."

"So what am I supposed to tell her father?" Lory cried helplessly, fearing both the fairies and the wrath of the girl's adoptive father.

"Not our problem." Blue snapped. "We're helping you here, and all you do is complain. Next time, be more careful about your wishes!" She didn't add that fairies don't normally grant wishes, and that this was actually her friend's fault.

"Just tell him what you told Ren." Red told him simply, her eyes a little softer than her friend's. "But you are not allowed to tell anyone, including Ren, that Princess is Kyoko, okay?" Lory sighed deeply, but nodded.

"Fine. It's not like I have a choice, with you and you demon plants." He muttered irritably.

"No. You don't. And you might want to start thinking of a cover story, because Kyoko is going to be a cat until true love's first kiss breaks the spell." The red fairy smiled dreamily, singing the last part a little.

"Can I at least tell him that?"

"No."

Kyoko woke a few hours later with a problem. She had to go to the bathroom again. Sighing, she wriggled out of the towel and the sleeping man's arms. She smiled up at him softly. 'He's so nice…' Jumping down from the sofa, she headed for the bathroom, but to her dismay, the toilet lid was down. 'No! That means…' Turning to the litter box, she backed away angrily. 'No. I'm not going to….' She looked around. 'What if he walks in!' Nudging the door closed, she hesitantly stepped into the litter box, crouched down, and did her business as quickly as possible. Desperately, she buried all traces of 'it,' pawing and scraping until the surface of the litter looked new. Leaping out of the box, she looked around to make sure he hadn't snuck up on her, then slipped out of the bathroom.

The clock on the nightstand of the spare room told her that it was nearly 2 in the morning. 'Oh no! If Tsuruga-san sleeps there, he might get sick. I have to wake him up." She ran into the living room and scrambled onto the sofa. The damp towel was still in his lap, so she grabbed it between her teeth and threw it to the floor. Then, climbing onto his thigh, she stood up on her back legs and chirped, placing a paw on his chest. "Tsuruga-san!" She cried. "Tsuruga-san you can't sleep here." He moaned and turned his head, the sound making her blush again under the fur. "Um…Tsuruga-san?" She tried to reach his face with her paw, but suddenly her paw slipped and she fell, claws extended, onto his…

He jerked awake in pain, gritting his teeth and groaning. "What the…" He stopped when he saw the little cat on the sofa, now next to him, eyes wide, frozen to the spot. "Princess?" She didn't move, and he straightened as the pain subsided. "What are you doing?"

'Oh my God I touched…I landed on…I felt…oh…my…god…' Kyoko felt her brain shut down and she missed him anxiously calling her name. She didn't come back to earth until he started to lift her again. Mortified, she leapt from his arms and dashed away, not paying any attention to where she was running. Ren watched in mute horror as she ran first into the leg of the coffee table, then into the wall, and then into a kitchen cabinet, where she finally lay still. He jumped up, shaking himself out of his stupor, and ran over.

"What are you doing?" He cried, bending over and touching her side. She hid her face in her paws, whimpering as she scooted away from him.

"I'm so sorry, Tsuruga-san!" She meowed loudly. "I didn't mean to touch your….your….special place!" He just stared at her, eyes narrowed in concern.

"Are you okay?" The little cat hadn't moved from the floor and wasn't looking at him. "Hey! Princess?" He lifted her head and looked at her face, gently touching her now sore nose. She whimpered a little once more.

'He doesn't seem mad…isn't he going to yell at me?' On the contrary he picked her up and looked closely at her face. 'I'm so close to him! Wahh! He's….he's….' He gently kissed the tip of her nose, then rubbed the top of her head with his own, nuzzling her.

"Silly cat. You have to be more careful when you're running around." He stood with her in his arms. "I'm going to bed. Are you tired?" She wasn't tired, but his kiss had short-circuited her brain and she was currently unable to respond.

As Kyoko lay silently in Ren's arms, trying to wake her brain up, two fairies sat on the windowsill. "Wait…you said true love's first kiss…right?"

"Huh?"

"When Lory asked you…and again today…you said that only true love's first kiss would turn her human again."

"Oh…yea."

"But he kissed her. Just a few minutes ago. And he truly loves her. So…why didn't that change her back?"

"Oh! Yea, I was lying."

"…"

"Of course true love's first kiss won't change her back." The fairy laughed much to the annoyance of her best friend. "That's silly. How could I possibly know if they truly love each other? I'm not some kind of love fairy."

"Then…how can she change back?"

"Only I can do that." She smiled. "And I will!" She assured her open mouthed friend. "As soon as I've granted Lory and Maria's wish." Blue rolled her eyes. She had long since learned that arguing with her best friend was pointless.

Ren woke up as the light streamed into the window and hit his eyes. For a second, he was confused. 'Why didn't my alarm go off? I have wor…oh.' Looking down, he found the small black cat still in his arms. 'This is strange…I'm happy she's here. I love holding her…' He had, once or twice, had a pet. Once his father had brought home a puppy, and then, later, a cat. He hadn't disliked the cat…but he had never got such enjoyment out of holding it…or kissing it. The thought made him blush, though he had no idea why it should. 'She's a cat. There is nothing indecent about it. It's not like I was kissing…Kyoko…' This time he paused. 'Why would I even think that? I must just really miss Kyoko.' Gently pulling his arm away from the little black creature, he sat up and stretched. She woke instantly, yawning cutely and stretching as well. He laughed as she stood and arched her back, her tail straight out, and screwed her eyes shut tightly. "Good morning."

Waking up as a cat was as strange as it had been the first time, but the stretching felt nice. "Good morning Tsuruga-san." She chirped happily, swishing her tail and, for reasons she couldn't pinpoint, licking her paw and smoothing fur on her head.

"You are the most responsive cat I've ever met in my life." He mumbled as he stood and walked into the bathroom. She continued washing herself, driven by a now compulsive need, and purred at how it felt.

'Hmmm waking up as a cat isn't so bad.' She thought as she happily licked her paws. Ren emerged from the bathroom, toothbrush in his mouth, and smiled when he saw her still sitting on the bed. Quickly heading back into the bathroom to finish, he emerged once again.

"Are you hungry?" She nodded and leapt off the bed before he could pick her up.

'After last…this morning, I need to keep my distance…' She shuddered a little, leading the, once again, surprised man into the kitchen.

"You didn't eat your food from yesterday." He pointed out sadly. She tilted her head and looked up at him. "Do you not like it?" She glanced over and shook her head. "Did you even try it?" She shook her head sheepishly and he grinned. "Well go on." He gestured grandly to the food bowl. Sighing, she tiptoed over to the food bowl and sniffed. The food smelled strongly of chicken and tuna, and, taking a single nugget between her teeth, she chewed, then forced herself to swallow. Pinning her ears back, she backed away from the bowl and hissed loudly, arching her back and making her fur stand up. He laughed. "Fine. What do you want to eat then?"

Growling a little, but pleased that he got the point, she lapped up some water and jumped onto one of the tall barstools, then gingerly climbed on the counter. "What are you going to have, Tsuruga-san?" She meowed.

He tilted his head. "I'm sorry. I can't understand you." She sighed and, picking up her paw, pointed to him. "Me?" She nodded, and his eyes widened. "What am I going to eat?" She nodded vigorously. "Um…nothing." She glared and hissed again. "Hey! Don't start lecturing me about my…" He froze, the painful reminder clenching his heart. 'She isn't Kyoko. No matter how much you pretend, she's not her.' "This is insane." He said simply. "You are a cat." Kyoko narrowed her eyes.

'Well, I wanted to tell him today. Might as well try and get it over with.' She shook her head violently.

"Yes, you are." He argued childishly. This time she growled in frustration, shaking her head again. "Then what are you?" He cried. She took a few steps closer and pointed her paw at him, poking him in the chest with it. "You're…a person?" His voice was half amused and half incredulous. She nodded, purring. He gave a half laugh. "I'm insane. I've gone totally insane. I'm talking to a cat that thinks it's a person!" He placed his head in his hands. "I must miss her more than I thought. Yea…that's it. I miss Kyoko…and I'm going insane. After only one day." He shook his head with a laugh. "What do you think Princess?" She tilted her head, observing him carefully. She had never heard her sempai use such a tone and it kind of worried her.

'Why would he miss me?' She wondered. She purred happily when he started petting her, taking a deep breath.

"Okay…so you were a person. Let's pretend I believe that." She flattened her ears in irritation. "Do I know you?" She nodded her head, placing her paws on his chest and looking into his eyes.

"Look! Do I have the same eyes? Can't you recognize me?" By the sudden widening of the eyes, she was sure he did. Hesitantly, his hand came up to touch the side of her face, smoothing the whiskers and fur on her tiny cheek.

"K…Kyoko?" She nodded violently, relief flooding her.

"Finally!" She meowed happily.

He mumbled a curse that made her fur stand up and dropped his hand. "How…what….why are you…oh God." He placed his hand on his forehead and she hastily backed away. "No. No way. People don't turn into cats." He told her sternly, as if this was all in her imagination. "They…they just don't. Right?" He stood abruptly, fists clenched as he stared down at her. "Prove it." He placed his hands on the counter, looking deeply into her eyes. She tilted her head in confusion.

"How am I supposed to prove it?" She meowed in confusion. He groaned and sat on one of the barstools, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Right…how?" He mumbled. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Stay here!" He fled the room and with her sensitive ears, he could hear him digging through a drawer. Emerging a few seconds later, he dropped something onto the counter top in front of her. "In this magazine is what I got Kyoko for her 17th birthday." He announced, ignoring her nod. "Find it."

"Okay." She chirped. Kyoko drug her paw across the cover, finding that she could turn pages if she was careful. Looking through the pictures of random ads and jewelry, she was nearly at the end of the magazine when she found it. Meowing proudly, she looked up and placed her paw over the picture. Moving her paw gently, he felt the blood drain from his face when he found himself face to face with 'Princess Rosa.'


	5. Charades

Kyoko sat frozen in place, fear slowly replacing relief. Her sempai's face had drained of all blood and he was clutching the edge of the counter top as if he would collapse. Not daring to make a noise, Kyoko trembled in place, longing to call out to him, to touch him….anything to get him to stop looking so…frightened. What felt like hours passed before he finally tore his eyes away from the picture and looked up the little cat shaking on the countertop. She lowered her head, hoping he wasn't angry, and started to back away. 'Maybe if I go away…he'll be okay.' She stood slowly and started to turn away, her ears and tail drooping, when he suddenly caught her and pulled her too him, enveloping her gently in his arms, her head resting in the crook of his neck.

"Kyoko?" She blushed, her fur standing on edge. He had heard him say her name several times in the last few hours, but never had he been speaking to her…and in such an intimate tone. Managing to turn her head upwards, she nodded, golden eyes relieved. "Kyoko." He breathed her name, resting his nose on the cat's head. "Wait." He suddenly held her out, hands around her chest and under her front legs. Squirming, she meowed irritably.

'Put me down!' She cried, twisting in his grip uncomfortably.

"Oh! Sorry." He placed a hand over her lower back and cuddled her to his chest in the crook of his arm, stroking her stomach with his free hand, a teasing smile on his face. "Is this better?" She gave a short hiss and leapt from his arms, walking primly over to the couch and sitting down, licking her front paw. He chuckled and followed, sitting beside her, he crossed his arms.

"So…how did you manage this?" She pinned her ears back. "Not that I'm saying it was your fault..." He trailed off.

"You obviously think this was my fault!" She cried, ears still pinned against her head, and he chuckled again. Now that he knew where she was, safe and sound and close to him, it felt like a giant weight had been taken off his chest and he was finally able to breathe freely.

"Seriously, Kyoko. What happened?" She continued to glare at him. There was no way for her to explain it to him. "Did Lory have anything to do with it?" She thought for a moment, then, in an attempt to mimic his American gesture, she lifted her shoulders and tilted her head. He laughed. "You don't know?" He guessed. She nodded, telling him that he was correct. "Do you even know what happened?" She shook her head, lowering her ears sadly. He sighed, petting her head, and she meowed happily, standing on her back paws and pressing her head against his hand. "Well, there isn't really anything I can think of to do, other than continue taking care of you. Maybe whatever this is will wear off and you can explain properly." She was about to chirp a response when her stomach made a funny noise. His eyes widened and he looked down at her. "Kyoko?" She backed away, ducking under a cushion and tucking into a tight ball.

'Shut up stupid stomach!' She cried. He lifted the cushion and was about to ask again when it dawned on him.

"Oh! You haven't eaten anything since yesterday, have you?" He asked with a frown. "I'm sorry. What do you want to eat?" She looked at him irritably and was certain that he blushed a little for a moment. "Sorry….I keep forgetting that you can't respond. Um…how about hamburger steak?" Before she could stop herself, her eyes lit up and she pricked her ears forward, jumping up and balancing on her back paws briefly. He laughed softly, placing his hand under her lifted front paws and rubbing his thumb over them, much to her embarrassment. "Alright. Hamburger steak with egg it is."

This time, Kyoko walked on her own at Ren's side. The restaurant was only a couple of blocks from his apartment, but she had insisted on coming. (All she had to do was stand by the door and stare at him pleadingly for a few minutes.) Sticking close to him, she looked around in amazement at the city of Tokyo from a cat's perspective. The giant cars rushing by made her nervous, so she slipped to the other side of Ren's legs and trotted along while staring at the shops and businesses, along with the people rushing by. As they got closer to the city center, there were more people walking by with giant feet, and she moved closer and closer to Ren, not wanting to get stepped on.

Ren glanced down nervously from under his ball cap every few seconds. There were more and more people crowding around him, but he was hesitant to pick the cat up now that he knew it was Kyoko. He needn't have worried, because after a few feet that came to close, Kyoko stopped in front of him and tapped his leg. Crouching down, he let her climb onto his shoulder, bringing up a hand to steady her so that she didn't fall or scratch him, and resumed walking. To his surprise, she thanked him with a cold nose in his ear. He brought up a hand to pet her a couple of times, and she quickly draped herself across his shoulder and rested her head against his neck, watching the scenery from a higher perch than ever.

Soon he reached the restaurant and entered, ducking a little to get into the shop. The Okami-san opened her eyes in surprise and was about to speak when the Taisho came out with a cleaver. "You get that cat out of my restaurant!" He snarled. Kyoko whimpered and tried to hide behind Ren's head, accidently clawing him a little. Nodding, he stepped away from the large knife.

"I just want to order some food to go."

"Yea? Leave the cat outside!" Ren glared and stormed through the door, fighting the urge to slam the door on the way out like a child. Kyoko leapt from his shoulder to the ground and pointed to the door with her paw.

"I'm not leaving you here alone!" He cried. She rolled her eyes and sat, her tail curling around her front paws, and regarded him quietly. "I'm sure you will stay here, but what if something happens to you?" She tilted her head and he threw his hands in the air and sighed. "Fine! But stay here, Kyoko! I mean it! Don't wander off. It's dangerous." 'It's dangerous enough when you're a human. I can't let anything happen to you.' He turned away hesitantly and stepped inside, glancing over his shoulder as he entered and spoke to the Okami-san.

Kyoko had every intention in the world to stay still and wait for Ren…until she saw the dog.

Kyoko was not afraid of dogs. She had never met a vicious dog in her life, and often enjoyed petting and cuddling them if she got the chance. However, she knew how dogs viewed cats. Backing away slowly as the stray approached, she slipped into the alley behind the restaurant. "Tsuruga-san is going to kill me." She mumbled. "But that dog might kill me first…" Ducking behind the building, she crouched down as the large dog walked by. 'Please don't see me, please don't….crap.' She stiffened as he froze, sniffing the air, then turned to look at her. She didn't move, even though every fiber of her being wanted to flee. He came closer, sniffing her gingerly, and she remained still, regarding him mutely. Her fur stood up as his wet nose came to close to her face, and she bared her teeth, pinning her ears back. He pulled away for a moment, then resumed walking. As soon as he was out of sight, she slumped to the ground, her heart pounding against her rib cage. 'Tsuruga-san! He told me not to move!" She raced back toward the entrance the alley, turning the corner and running back to the sidewalk, but ran nose first into a foot. About to meow an apology, she was stunned when a foot made contact with her side. Squeaking, she hit the outer wall of the restaurant.

"Stupid cat!" She heard someone snarl, right before her anger antenna, apparently transferable to cat form, darted over to the looming figure a few feet away.

"Hey!" She heard her sempai's voice from her position on the ground. Trying to sit up and calm him down, she was stunned by the sharp pain in her side.

'Why did he kick me?' She wondered, lifting her head to watch the giant man loom over the teenager who shrunk back. Ren was murmuring to the other boy so quietly that even her sensitive ears failed to pick up the words, but from the way the teen paled and backed away, she had a feeling it wasn't good. Finally he turned away with a disgusted look as the teen scurried away and hurried to her side, setting the bags of food down and placing a hand on her side. She found that she was unconsciously purring and found that the vibrations took her mind of the pain.

"You're hurt." She hurt him mumble, his hand pressing into her side with the slightest pressure. She looked up at him with sad, confused eyes, and he slipped a hand under her, wanting to pick her up gently. She meowed sharply at him, baring her teeth. She had no intention of biting him this time, but needed to tell him that he was hurting her in the quickest way possible. "Sorry." He whispered. "I'm going to have to pick you up." His eyes were so sad that she couldn't argue. She nodded and let him lift her carefully into his arms, holding her as still as possible, trying to ignore her whimpers and soft cries of protest that tore at his heart. Carefully he picked up the bag of food and hurried back to his apartment.

The first thing he did was drop the food and lay the limp cat on his sofa. Kyoko closed her eyes as he ran a hand over her side, steadfastly ignoring the slight urge in the back of her mind to attack him. 'I'm not really a cat. I'm a human. He's not hurting me on purpose. He wants to help me.' She heard him dialing and then his frantic voice.

"Lory! Kyoko's hurt." There was a sort silence. "Oh give it up. I know that Princess is Kyoko. No, I'm not going into how I know. Yes. I'm sure you are." Ren mumbled something under his breath. "Yes. Listen! Some kid kicked her. She won't stand up. Yes. Yes she is. No I do not!" She pinned her ears back and concentrated on the sound of the purring. "Okay. I will. I hate to carry her again. No, she isn't." She managed to block out the rest of the conversation as he picked her up again, mumbling apologies.

Ren placed his head in his hands as he waited for the vet. 'Why did I leave her out on the street? Why did I listen to her? How could I be so stupid?' Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Tsuruga-san?" He lifted his head and caught the vet's eye. He stood immediately and she took a step back.

"Is she okay?" He blurted anxiously.

"She'll be fine. She was just stunned, and she'll be in pain for a little while. We have her on some painkillers and she's still groggy." Ren nodded. "She may not want to eat for a little while, but make sure she drinks plenty of water. Okay?" he nodded again, drumming his fingers on the side of his leg in impatience. "Just make sure she takes these." The woman handed him a bottle of small pills. "Every day, twice a day." She smiled. "You don't have to worry so much. She's okay." He finally smiled a little, relief coursing through his body.

'If I had lost her...' He shook his head. He couldn't even bear to think about it.

Kyoko awoke again in Ren's arms. Shifting a little, she tried to make her groggy brain respond to find out where she was. Looking around as much as possible, she realized that she was on his lap, one of his hands resting lightly on her back and the other around her. They were in his living room, and the TV was turned on low. She glanced up at him and met his dark brown eyes. He released a long breath and carefully ran his hand over her back. "Hey. How are you?" She blinked a few times and meowed, trying to reassure him. "I got you a hamburger steak with egg." He offered softly. "Do you want to try and eat something?" She shook her head a little, starting to stand, but his hand was firm on her back. "You need to lie still." He said softly. "I'm just going to bring you a bite to eat, okay? You have to take your medicine."

He carefully moved her from his lap and started to get up. "Tsuruga-san? Are you mad at me?" She meowed softly. Turning, he looked down at her.

"What?"

"Are you mad at me." She meowed again, frustrated. 'I just want to be able to talk to him again!" His eyes were sad.

"I'm sorry. I can't understand you. Do you need something?" His hand ghosted over her head, carefully smoothing the fur there.

Giving up, she dropped her head back onto the sofa and shook it. He brought a small plate with a piece of hamburger steak and a small pill on it. He knelt down beside her and placed the plate on the sofa. "Come on. Try to eat a little bit."

She stared in wonder at the man for a few seconds. 'I do not believe this. He isn't mad at all. He…he really cares about me. He was scared that I was hurt…and now he's taking care of me. This is why I love him…what?' Her eyes widened, but she managed to choke down a bite of the food and the pill as her mind worked. She had known that she had feelings for him for a while…but to be openly admitting that she loved him? 'What happened? Why am I okay with this! Love brings nothing but sorrow and pain….' She stopped, thinking about Ren. 'No…he's never hurt me. I've never been sad because he did something to me…well…not since he stopped being mean.' The thought made her smile a little. For some reason, she thought about his temper with more fondness than irritation. 'I really must love him…it's different than how I felt with Sho.' She placed her chin on her paws as Ren carried the plate into the other room. "I love him." She meowed. "But how am I supposed to tell him?"

The red fairy crossed her arms and smiled triumphantly at her friend.

"Mo. What is that look for? You got her hurt."

"I didn't get her hurt! Don't be so mean!" The blue fairy rolled her eyes.

"Fine. Why are you happy."

"Because she loves him."

"How do you know?"

"She just said it!"

"MO! How am I supposed to know that? I don't speak cat!"

"Okay, fine. But it is what she said. She said, 'I love him. But how am I supposed to tell him?'"

"That's nice…now she can't speak to him and tell him how she feels. Are you going to change her back?"

"Not just yet…" She smiled cheerfully. "Kyoko has to figure out how to tell him that she loves him first!"

"How? She's a cat! Haven't you meddled enough?" The heartbroken look on Red's face made her groan. "Mo! I'm sorry. Didn't you say you wanted ice cream?" Immediately her mind was off of her friend's meanness and onto the yummy treat they had discovered in Tokyo.

"OH yea! Let's go! Hurry! Before they close!"

"MO! We just fly through the window anyway!" She let her friend drag her out the window and down the street.

Kuu was furious. Lory was refusing his phone calls. His son wasn't answering his calls. Kyoko's cell went straight to voice mail. Drumming his fingers, he glared out the window until he felt his wife's hand on his own.

"Hey. We're almost there." She kissed his cheek, melting his bad mood immediately. "We can talk to Lory and find out what's going on." He sighed and lifted the TV tray on the back of the seat in front of him, lifting his arm and wrapping it around her as Japan came into view.


	6. Fairy Tale

Ren kept an eye on the cat on his sofa as he washed the plate, scrubbing absentmindedly. He could still feel the panic from earlier, when he had stepped out of the shop and looked around to find that the little black cat wasn't there. Glancing up, he saw her running around the corner, and a soft smile had replaced his anxious scowl, and he had been about to greet her when she ran into a teenage boy, probably around 17 or 18, with his hands stuffed in his pockets and eyes trained on the ground. Instead of laughing it off like Ren had been expected, the boy had suddenly whirled, slamming his foot into her side and throwing her into the building. It had taken Ren only a split second to reach the boy, nearly reaching out and...

He shook his head and walked back over to the sofa, sitting on the cushion beside her gently so as not to jostle her. Her amber eyes opened and she stared at him sadly, her ears pressed back. He placed his hand on her side and gently smoothed the fur there, feeling the deep vibrations of her purring. The vet had told him that cats purr when they are in pain as well as happy, and the thought made him wince. "Are you feeling okay?" He asked the little cat as he stared into her eyes, wondering how he had managed to miss the fact that this was the girl he loved. She didn't respond, instead closing her sad, closed off eyes, and turning away. "Hey." He scratched the back of her neck and gently rolled one of her ears between his fingers, smiling when she finally relaxed and stretched out a little. "Kyoko?" She finally looked back up at him. "Are you feeling okay?" He repeated the question, and she shrugged her little shoulders, lying her head back down. "What's wrong?" She meowed at him plaintively, and he wished more than anything to know what it was she was trying to tell him. "I'm sorry." He whispered, his eyes miserable. "Are you in pain?" She shook her head a little. "Are you…angry?" She seemed to think for a second, the shook her head. "Um…sad." He guessed. She nodded then, looking up at him as if he could fix her problems. "I'm sorry." He whispered again, shaking his head helplessly.

Kyoko sighed a little. 'It's not his fault. I shouldn't be blaming him for my problems. There isn't anything he can do. He's already helping me." Making a decision, she slowly pulled herself upright, distributing her weight between her four paws, and, turning, slowly closed the small distance between them. Flinching as the vertical movement made her side ache, she walked toward him until her front paws were pressed against his legs.

"What are you…." He stopped when she lay back down, her head resting on his leg, and smiled.

"I love you." She meowed, looking up at him, using every fiber of her being to show how she felt for him with her eyes. Nudging his hand, she rubbed her face across it, purring loudly. Glancing back up, she saw that he was smiling lovingly down at her. 'How can I become human again!' She cried in her mind. 'How long am I going to be stuck as a cat, unable to tell him how I feel?' Closing her eyes, she let the pain pill induced drowsiness take over for a while as her sempai's large hand massaged her side and smoothed her fur.

A few hours later she woke again, and this time she was alone in the living room. Gingerly, she stood and walked to the edge of the couch, finding that it wasn't as difficult as before, Slowly, she leaned her body over the edge and jumped, meowing sharply when she hit the ground. "Kyoko?" Desperately, she straightened and looked up at the approaching man innocently, cursing her sonic hearing. "What are you doing? You shouldn't be moving around!" He hurried toward her, his mouth turned down in anxiety.

Normally, she would have listened to him…or at least taken the time to argue, but a little red ball of light caught her attention and her eyes widened.

"HEY!" She cried, turning and hobbling over to the window as quickly as possible. Ren followed as well, calling after her, but not wanting to pick her up and risk hurting her. "You! Fairy! I need to talk to you!" She snapped, ignoring the lage man behind her. The little creature turned from the window and smiled at her.

"Oh. Hi Kyoko. How are you feeling?" She floated down and stood in front of the little black cat with a happy grin. Kyoko was having none of it, Using her front paw, she swiped at the creature, pinning her to the ground and baring her teeth.

"What is your problem!" She cried. "I thought fairies were supposed to be wonderful and nice! But you turned me into a cat and now Tsuruga-san has to take care of me!" The fairy stared at her with wide eyes.

"What do you mean? You love him!" Kyoko's eyes widened.

"Shhhh! Don't say that so loudly!"

"Well you do!" The fairy crossed her arms and pouted. "You said so. And that was the point."

"So make me human again!" She cried. "I don't want to be a cat anymore?"

"Why? So that you can tell him how much you love him?" The little red creature teased. Kyoko hissed irritably. "Fine. You can be human again. But you have to figure out how to turn yourself back."

"…what!" Kyoko screeched. "What is your problem? How am I supposed to do that?"

Ren stared down at the little black cat in concern. She was hissing loudly, meowing and screeching at something between her paws. Her body and paws were blocking whatever she was so angry with, and he started to crouch down.

"Don't worry. You'll figure it out!" The little creature waved and slipped between Kyoko's paws, hurrying for the window. Kyoko screeched after her, chasing her to the wall then standing up on her hind legs, ignoring the pain in her side.

"Get back here! Turn me back now!" Ren reached out hesitantly and touched her.

"Kyoko? What's wrong?"

"How did you not see the fairy!" She cried, pointing her paw at the window. "That was the fairy that turned me into a cat! She won't turn me back!" She wailed, sitting down and crying plaintively. He cocked his head, reaching out and hesitantly touching her head.

He ventured a guess. "Um…you're hungry?" Her ears flattened and he retraced his hand in a hurry.

After the episode with the little red fairy, Kyoko was in a perpetual bad mood, settling herself on the sofa and hissing whenever he tried to talk her into eating something. Eventually, he gave up, smirking when an idea hit him. Walking over to the sofa, he lay on his stomach, placed his chin on his hands, legs bent in the air, he placed his nose against hers. Jerking in surprise, her eyes widened and she squeaked a little. "Tsuruga-san?" She meowed, tilting her head. He was smiling, amused at the shocked sound. "What are you doing?" He only lifted an eyebrow, reaching down and grabbing one of the toy mice on the floor. He held it up, dangling it in front of her face, gently dragging it over her face. After a second, against her will, she lifted her paw and batted it out of her face. He chuckled, bringing a finger up and scratching her under the chin. 'He's trying to cheer me up.' She meowed again, this time a little less irritably, and he grinned at her playfully.

"Good kitty." He cooed, making her roll her eyes and swat at his face, claws retracted, only patting him softly with the pad of her paw. He reached out and caught her small paw between his fingers, grinning boyishly when she tried to pull it back.

"Hey!" She meowed, starting to stand, her desire to play getting the better of her when she collapsed back on the couch, the pain returning. Immediately he released her, then, much to her surprise, leaned over and gave her a kiss on her forehead between her eyes. Sadly, he rested his nose on he forehead.

"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm sorry I left you alone." He petted her side, being as gentle as possible. "I'm sorry I didn't protect you." She shook her head and nudged his face with her nose, purring loudly. He smiled at her return attempts to cheer him up and scooped her into his arms, sitting up and holding her against his chest. 'I love you.' He thought it to her, putting it into every look he gave her as she curled in his embrace.

Kuu stormed through the LME lobby, jabbed the elevator button, and crossed his arms irritably. As soon as the metal doors slid open, he stepped inside, jabbing at the 'door close' button. When he reached the top floor, Lory was waiting for him in the hallway with a grim smile. "Hello Kuu."

"Lory, where is she!" He snarled.

Deciding that he had enough of this, Lory grinned. "Sorry Kuu. She's at your son's house. He's sort of the one behind all this, so you'll have to ask him." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a keycard, handing it over with a grin.

Both actor and cat decided to go to bed relatively early after a quick dinner of leftover hamburger steaks which Ren finally convinced her to eat. Ren carefully sat her on the bed and disappeared into the bathroom to change. She was nearly asleep as soon as he sat her down on the soft comforter. There had never been any question of her sleeping in the cat bed, especially since he found out who she was, and she was grateful. However, she still missed the mumbling coming from the window as she waited for him to join her.

"I thought you said that you would turn her back when she learns her lesson." The blue fairy pointed out.

"I will!"

"But she's learned it! She loves him and wants to tell him, right? What are you waiting for?"

The red fairy smiled evilly. "You'll see."

Ren pulled the covers over himself, slipping between the sheets, and curled his arm around the little cat. She opened her eyes and met his tired ones, nudging his cheek. He laughed softly, petting her. She purred happily, closing her eyes again, and pretended to be asleep, waiting for his breathing to even out. 'Well…I can't tell him that I love him…but I can do this…' Making sure he was asleep, she slowly nuzzled her nose against him and gave his cheek a quick lick with her rough tongue, sighing in relief when he only smiled and mumbled in his sleep.

The blue fairy's jaw dropped and she pointed to the cat dramatically. "Oh come on! She kissed him! You can't say that she doesn't love him now!"

"Wait for it!" She cried excitedly.

Ten minutes passed. Suddenly, with a grin, the red fairy silently flew over to Kyoko and the little cat was surrounded with red dust, going unnoticed by Ren, until, in a matter of seconds, the little cat stretched and transformed in a very naked woman pressed against him.

Ren shifted in his sleep as the red fairy flew back to her window seat.

"What?" Blue asked with a lifted eyebrow. "You wanted her to be in bed with him?"

"Wait for it!"

Ren felt something warm under his hand and shifted it a little. Whatever it was was soft and smooth. "Hm?" He mumbled. Sure that Kyoko's fur wasn't so smooth, he opened his eyes and smothered a yell, jerking his arm off of her bare back. "Oh God." He mumbled, staring down at the completely naked girl in his bed. "Oh….crap! Oh…wow…." He stopped freaking out for a minute when she turned to her back, her breasts rising and falling with each breath. His gaze trailing downward, his eyes stopped here her legs met and his throat went dry. 'Oh...wow.' Without conscious thought his hand moved toward her, landing on her smooth stomach and sliding upward, nearly touching her breast, but stopped suddnely. 'No. I can't do that to her. I need to wake her up.' Sighing at the thought he reached over and touched her shoulder, trying to look only at her face. She whimpered and rolled over to face him again. About to jerk away, he froze when he saw the large black and blue mark covering her side and flinched in sympathy. Carefully, his fingers ghosted over the discolored skin, and she flinched and giggled in her sleep. He smiled and pulled the covers over her, pulling her over gently, and was pleasantly surprised when she snuggled into him contentedly. Closing his eyes, he started to drift off.

"Were you hoping for a sex scene? MO! You pervert!"

"Just a few more seconds!"

The door flew open, making a dent in the wall where it banged against it. "Ren Tsuruga, what have you done to my daughter?"

"There it is." The blue fairy's jaw dropped as her friend giggled and sat back against the window pane. Turning with a sigh, she decided to enjoy the show.

Ren jerked upright. "What are you doing here!" He cried at the same time Kyoko bolted upright before crying out in pain and clutching her side, dropping back to the bed. Looking down at herself, she was first relieved, then mortified. The sheets had pooled around her waist and glancing up at her father, she could see that his red face was turned away.

'Well, I'm certainly human again.' Suddenly the sheets were pulled back over her and Ren was touching her arm.

"Hey. Are you okay?" She managed a slight nod, her face bright red with no fur to hide it.

"Tsuruga-san, I'd like to have a word with you." The older man turned and slammed the door shut behind him, face still red. 'What were they doing in bed together! Why is my little girl naked!' The thought made him blush brighter and he groaned.

"Tsuruga-san! I'm so…" She started to sit up as she spoke but his firm hand on her bare shoulder kept her still.

"No. Don't be sorry." His handsome face was set in a worried frown as he squeezed her arm. "You can just stay here. I'll go talk to Hizuri-san, and I'll sleep on the couch. Okay?" He was about to leave when she grabbed his arm, jerking him down so that he nearly fell on top of her, and pressed her lips to his, her eyes locked on his.

'No. I finally realized that I love him and I've been trying to tell him all day. I'm not waiting any longer!'

Not having the willpower to deny the naked woman lying in his bed, he did the only thing he could do and kissed her back.


	7. Explanation

For the next few minutes, Ren entirely forgot about his father in the next room, instead concentrating on keeping his hands over the sheet covering the fact that Kyoko was completely naked and in his bed as she pressed her lips against his. Moaning into the kiss, he managed to persuade her to open her mouth, which she did a little hesitantly, the reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck, making the sheet slide down a little. However, when she tried to sit up and move closer to him she was once again reminded of the bruising on her side and broke the kiss, clenching her jaw in pain. "I'm sorry." He touched her side over the blanket. "Did I hurt you?" She shook her head a little, managing a smile.

"No. It's just sore." He nodded grimly and, forgetting about his father again, gently kissed her again. "I love you." She whispered when he pulled away a little, meeting his soft smile with her own. "I kept trying to tell you today…" He laughed breathlessly, his heart not daring to believe the words. "I'm sorry…that you had to take care of me and…and that I wondered off." Her eyes were downcast and he dropped down to her side, kissing her cheek.

"I love you." He whispered, nuzzling her cheek. "I didn't mind taking care of you. I was just so happy that you weren't gone…" She smiled. "And that wasn't your fault. It was that jerk…" He trailed off darkly, his eyes still angry as he gently ran his hand over her side over the sheet. "I'd better go talk to Hizuri-san…"

"You can call him Dad." She whispered, looking into his eyes. "I won't tell anyone, Kuon." He stared at her, wide-eyed, hand frozen over her side.

"How?" He managed.

"I heard you on the phone. I'm sorry." He shook his head.

"No….you don't have to be sorry." He brought a hand up to her face and gently ran his thumb over her cheek. "I was just surprised." He regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, rubbing his thumb over her cheek again. "Well, either way, I should go talk to him."

"Um…. I should come too!" She started to sit up, bracing herself for the pain, but he placed a strong hand on her shoulder, shaking his head.

"You still need to stay in bed. We might need to take you to a doctor tomorrow." He frowned at her side, wishing he could take another look, but pulled away slowly. "I'll explain everything to…Dad." It felt strange saying it, but Kyoko didn't seem to notice.

"What are you going to tell him?" He sighed.

"I'm not really sure."

Kuu was sitting on his sofa, looking perfectly at home sipping a mug of fresh coffee. He looked up at his son a bit irritably, placing the mug of the coffee table. "Care to tell me why my daughter is naked in your bed?" His eyes were narrowed, daring Ren to give him the answer he obviously expected. However, the younger man just sighed and sat next to his father, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

"I'm going to tell you what happened, Dad." If Kuu was surprised at his son openly resuming the role of father and child, Kuon didn't pay any attention. "I was looking after Kyoko because of a Love Me assignment she had to do, and I was doing it as a favor to the President…more of a demand really. He tricked me into it. While we were out earlier, she was injured pretty badly and that's why she isn't out here."

Kuu suddenly got over the fact that she had been naked and remembered her cry of pain. "Is she okay?" He asked anxiously.

"I'm taking her to a doctor tomorrow. She should be fine."

"That still doesn't explain why she was naked…." He was watching his son suspiciously.

"She was a cat." He said simply. "I was taking care of her while she was a cat, and then she turned back into a person in my bed a few minutes before you barged in, and since cats don't wear clothes I guess that would explain the nakedness." He could feel the disbelief from his father so he felt no need to look over.

"Kuon…" There was a dumbstruck silence. "Wh…what are you talking about?" There was a bit of concern in his eyes, and Kuon knew his father thought he was crazy.

"You wanted to know why she was naked in my bed. I answered you. Do you care if I go back to bed now?"

"I…" Kuu blinked, staring at the tired young man beside him. 'Is my son on drugs?'

"You're welcome to stay in the guest room if you like." Kuon offered with a half smile.

"Kuon!" Sighing the younger man turned back to his father.

"I'm not lying to you. In know you won't believe me, but I swear, I'm telling the truth, and I'm just as confused as you are, but…" He sighed. "I'm not going to do anything to her. I just don't want to try and move her when she's hurt." Kuu stared at his son for a second.

"I want to talk to her." He said simply.

"Can it wait until morning? She's probably already asleep." Taking a deep breath, Kuu nodded.

"Of course. Is it okay if I stay?" Ren smiled a little, standing and holding out his hand to his father.

"Of course."

Kyoko woke briefly when Ren climbed into bed next to her, dipping the matress and bringing her a little closer. His arm wrapped around her and she rested her head on his arm happily, smiling a little. Ren grinned and kissed her cheek. "I love you." He whispered. She opened her eyes, meeting his soft ones.

"I love you too." His hand slid down her body and pulled the comforter over the sheets. "Was Father angry?"

"He was...confused. He wants to talk to you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow? Is he staying here? What did you tell him?"

"The truth." Her eyes widened.

"What did he say?" Ren grinned and rolled over, holding her to his muscled chest gently. She blushed, which went unnoticed by him in the dark.

"He thinks I'm insane. But then again, so do I." She giggled a little, relaxing against him slowly, sighing. Taking another deep breath, she let herself drift to sleep. He lay awake for a while, listening to her steady breathing.

Kyoko woke as light filtered through an open window and touched her face. Mumbling a little, she burying her head into her warm, firm pillow that seemed to be breathing. 'Wait…breathing…?' Opening her eyes a little, she gasped when she found that she was in Ren…no Kuon's arms. Remembering the events of the previous night, she smiled a little and blushed, pulling the covers up around her neck. He shifted a little and she lifted her head, letting Ren retract his hand and flex it. Her blush brightened when she saw his muscles flex up to his shoulders and shut her eyes, feeling her body heat up. As if sensing her discomfort, he opened his eyes slowly and smiled at her slowly.

"Good morning." He mumbled, lifting his numb hand and touching her red face. She blushed brighter and looked away. "How are you feeling?"

"Um…I'm fine." She tried to move the covers above herself but he placed a hand on hers.

"You're fine." He assured her softly, squeezing gently. She blushed again. Grinning he sat up, careful to keep her covered, he rolled over and slipped out of bed. "Can you sit up?" She nodded a little and did so, holding the covers over her chest. He watched her face worriedly. "Do you need to go to a doctor?" She shook her head.

"No. I'll be fine…but I don' think I'll be able to go to work today…" He shook his head firmly.

"No. You can stay here today. I'll call Lory." He stood and stretched for a moment, then grinned. "I think Dad's fixing breakfast. I'll get you some clothes."

Kyoko emerged from the bedroom slowly while Ren was taking a shower. Her father flipped a pancake in one of three skillets, then placed it on a pile of at least twenty others. "I don't think that will be enough for all of us." She teased with a grin, and he spun around with a bright smile, opening his arms.

"Kyoko!" She took a few slow steps forward but he met her halfway, gently enveloping her in his arms. "Hey sweetie. How are you?" She was dressed in a pair of Ren's shorts and one of his t-shirts that nearly covered them and Kuu chuckled.

"I'm okay." She placed a hand on her side and smiled.

"Is Ren taking you to the doctor?"

"No. I don't think I need to go…" She trailed off at his disapproving look. "I'm feeling a lot better! It wasn't bad and…" He crossed his arms.

"Let me see." He insisted. She started to refuse but his stern look told her that he wouldn't be argued with. She sighed and lifted her shirt a little, keeping herself covered, and he crouched, gasping when he saw the discolored skin. Carefully, he ghosted his hand over her side.

"What do you think?" Kuu and Kyoko glanced up at Kuon's voice as he entered the kitchen, hair still wet and dripping, a towel slung across his neck.

"I think she should still see a doctor." Kuu stood and put an arm around her, helping her to a chair. "And I think you should dry your hair before you get a cold." Ren snorted and placed the towel on his head, ruffling it. Kyoko smiled from the kitchen table, watching as Ren grabbed two plates and placed a pancake on each, then sat at the table beside Kyoko, pushing the plate in front of her, and waited for his father to bring the syrup and his own plate full of pancakes.

The red and blue fairy sat side by side, watching as Kyoko and Kuon ate together, side by side, trying to explain things to Kuon's father. Smiling, the red fairy nudged her blue friend. "Well?"

"Well what?" Blue grumbled.

"I told you I could get them together by turning her into a cat." Blue rolled her eyes.

"Mo. Whatever."

"Oh come on! I did it! I granted Lory and Maria's wish!" The Blue fairy closed her eyes and nearly groaned, trying not to look at her friend's face. Giving in after a few minutes, she did groan aloud. Her friend's eyes were huge and filled with tears.

"Mo! Yes! You did a good job." She rolled her eyes. "Are you ha…." She was cut off when her red fairy friend threw her arms around her neck and squeezed. "GAH! Let go you moron!" She screamed, trying to fight her friend's death grip. Her friend giggled and pulled away, clasping her hands.

"Sorry." She smiled brightly, obviously not sorry at all.

"Whatever." Blue muttered, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. 'I've got to get her back to Karuizawa and away from these love obsessed nuts.'


End file.
